Going from one of the worst defenses in the league two season ago to a top five defense last year will certainly have media outlets taking notice.

As part of their training camp coverage, ESPN surveyed league executives, coaches, scouts and players to rank the top 10 players at 11 different positions. When their off-ball linebacker list came out, and again there is a Jet player sitting in the top 10. This time though, it is the savvy veteran, C.J. Mosley.

But while Mosley’s value to this team as a tackler and run stopper in the middle of their highly touted defense, it is his leadership that is most valuable to the team.

While early in camp Mosley has been singing the same tune as the rest of his teammates in saying that there is a different feel to the team this year, he has also been quick to warn his team against buying the hype.

“When people hear New York Jets, they’re going to think losses, or now when they hear the New York Jets, they’re going to think automatic Super Bowl,” Mosley said. “We can’t think that way, we have to stay focused, we have to stay grounded and take this camp one day at a time. Each day it’s going to be a new challenge for us and each day that person has to accept that challenge and be able to take it on.”

This is exactly the kind of veteran leadership that a very young and talented team needs in the locker room. The Jets should easily be in the Super Bowl conversation on paper, but the game isn’t played on paper.

The Jets are just young and talented enough to believe the hype surrounding them hook, line, and sinker. It will be up to vets like Mosley and Rodgers and to make sure that the work comes first.

It could be very easy to see a Jets team implode under the weight of their own hubris. Every national talking head has picked them to at least make the playoffs and perhaps go even further. The veterans know that kind of talk gets them absolutely nowhere.

Last season, Mosley played in all 17 games for the Jets and recorded 158 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and one fumble recovery.

For as much of a leader Mosley is to this defense, he is not immune to the business side of football. This offseason the Jets approached Mosley about reworking his contract so he could have a lower cap hit in 2023.

Currently, Mosley has the highest cap hit on the roster at $21.476 million. The Jets have been reworking deals all summer to make room for the eventual restructure of Aaron Rodgers’ contract which should also happen at some point this month.

Whatever Mosley is paid, his value to this team runs deeper than stats or dollars.  His experience and the respect he has garnered are invaluable to a team with big goals in mind.

Jets defense looks better than offense early in camp

Jets fans: I get it. We haven’t been here. Not since the 2012 season coming off back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances have we thought so highly of our team that we felt this sense of hope and optimism. I get it. Believe me. But some of you need to take a deep breath and calm […]

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